Rail-retaining member



April 21, 1931. R FARIES ET AL 1,801,807

' RAIL RETAINING MEMBER Filed Nov. 1;. 1930 INVENTORS; Z6 13072? Faries 14 WITNESSES w beri' H. Boydz I fijrokmsys '6 to'include any form .Patented Apr. 21, 1931 i Roma name, or s'nnnvms, AND ROBERT rmmmvmm mnn'rammo MEMBER.

nNT ol -"Flea is. x15, or rnrthnmnu,

Application filed November 18, 1980. Serial l i'o. 495,316.

This invention relates to rail retainingmembers and more particularly to means for retaining rails upon tie plates, though in using the term tie plate herein we mean of plate, tie or foundation, upon which the base of a rail is adapted to rest or to be secure The princi a1 object" of the i nvention is to prov1de a orm of tie plate and retaining member, which. when used in combination will enable rails to be quickly and readily assembled upon their supporting tie plates and to be removed with equal facility.

Heretofore various types of rail fasteners have been proposed for securing rails to ties or tie plates, and such rail fasteners have commonly been designed in the form of,

wedges, adapted to driven against the rail with a solid blow and to be held there-- .against by a forced fit, or by elaborate looking devices, or by tie plates fashioned into intricate forms expensive to manufacture. When retainin members are thus driven home against t e rail flange, they are fre-' quently distorted from their normal shape,

. and their removal is a matter of some difficulty. The retaining member of our invention is preferably not driven solidly against the rail, though it may be found to be desirable to prov1de frictional contact between the end of thelretainirig member and the rail flange, but it is adapted to be driven to a fixed point and there locked to the tiefplate.

Furthermore, the retaining member of this invention is preferably designed to limit movement of the rails with respect to the tie plates rather thanrto prevent such move.

comparatively ment. The retaining members herein described bein spaced from the upper surface of the I? less ofea tendency for the retaining members to be dislodged from their seats, or for the rail supporting ties to be loosened from the uinderlymg ballast. Furthermore, the retaining members are held in place,'by a simple yet eflectlve expedient.

A furtheriobject of tlie invention is to) provide a retaimng member of resilient matlon hereinafter se flange of the rail, there is terial, such as spring steel, and to utilize the resilient property of the member in providing Ia method of, holding the same in position while permitting its ready removal.

. Further objects and advanta es of the invention will be apparent from't e descripof two examples thereof,

the description having reference'to the accoifi ipan 'ng drawings, of which:

and retaining member, the rail shown in cross section, illustrating an example of our invention.

Fig. II 181], pers ectlve view of a retainm member by itse f and,

is an end view of a rail, tie-plate,

\ ig. III is a fragmentary view of a modified form of tie plate.

There is shown in the drawings a section of a rail 1 of standard fo m having a base flange 2 resting on a tie plate 3.

Adjacent to the outside edges of the base flange 2, the tie plate 3 is rovided with u standing lugs 4, each lug ing transverse y perforated at 5 so as to accommodate a r tainin member 6 adapted to project horizonta y above'the upper surface 7 of the base flange 2. The inwardly projecting end 8 of the retaining member 6 is tapered to provide an inclined surface 9 parallel to ,the 7 surface 7 of the base therefrom at a predetermined distance. In the exa le shown this distance is such that the rail ange will only engage the retaining member 6-upon a considerable vertical 'movement of the rail 1 with respect to the tie plate 3.

In the example shown, the retaining member 6 comprises a-flat spring steel bar,

and when manufactured it is bent\to the [flange 2 and spaced form of a hook with the end 10. curved to assume a normal sha e substantially corre spond'mg to the roun ed tops 11 'of'the lugs 4 of tie plates 3. Obviously, a bar of circul'ar cross-section, or of other desired crosssectional shape, may be used in lieu of the articular shape I selected for illustration herein. At 12 the lower curved surface of the outer end of the retaining member 6 changes in contour from a downward curve to an upward curve, thus providing a ridge assisting the operation of inserting the retaining member within a tie plate lug and resisting dislodgment of the retaining memher when it has been inserted.

The retaining member 6 may be readily applied to the tie plate 3 by inserting the end 8 within the perforation 5 and then striking the back of the member with a moderate blow causing the member to be thrust inward and at the same time causing the ridge 12 ,to catch yieldingly on the inside of the rounded top 11 of the lug 4.

To remove the retaining member 6 a moderate force applied to the end 10 in an upward direction coupled with an outward pull is sufficient. Accordingly, the retaining member is made to possess only such resiliency as to enable it to be applied and removed with facility.

In Fig. III another form of rail fastener embodying our invention is shown. In this instance the tie plate 3a is provided with upstanding lugs 411 having a number of rounded depressions 13 and 14 in the top thereof.

in the form of a hook with a knob 12a at the end thereof. The lower end 8a is inserted through a perforation 5a in the lug 4a, so as to project above the rail flange 7, and the amount of clearance between the inclined surface 90. and the base 7 of the rail can be varied according to the osition assumed by the retaining member. en the retaining member is in the "position illustrated in which its knob 12a engages the outermost depression 13, there is a considerable clearance between the inclined surface 9a and the base 7 of therail. The retaining member may, however, be driven closer to the rail to a position in which its knob 12a engages the innermost depression 14, in which case there is virtually no clearance between it and the rail, or it may be driven to a still closer position in which its knob 12a en gages the inner edge 15 of the lug 4a in which case the retaining member is driven solidly against the base of the rail. .Accordingly, the form of tie plate shown in Fig. III provides for three positions (and obviously provision ma be made for any desired number of positlons) into which the retaining member is adapted to be driven, the selection of the desired osition depending upon theamount of c earance desired between the end of the retaining member and the base of. the flan e. The retaining member 6a is likewise ma e of such material and of such normal shape as to resist distortion to an extent that it is not easily dislodged while sufficiently resilient to enable it to be easily applied and removed with the use of tools. 1

While we have described two examples of 1 our invention it will, of course, be apparent that various changes may be made in the The retaining member 6a is likewise made,

.ing an upstanding lug wit depressions in .the surface thereof, and a form of the tie plates and rail retaining members herein described without departing from the spirit of our invention which contemplates a variety of forms for these parts.

'end caught on the'surface of said lug.

3. In combination, a rail, a tie plate having an upstanding perforated lug with a rounded top, and a retaining member comprising a resilient hook havin one end passing through the perforation 111 said. ing and having the other end curved. to conform to the rounded top of said lug.

4. In combination, a rail a tie plate having an upstandin lug with a rounded top, and a springlstee retaining member in the form 0 a 00k having one end assin through said lug and having the ot er en curve downward to conform to the rounded top of said lug and then curved upward w ereby when the retaining member is in serted 1t is caught on the top of said lug yet readily removable.

.5. In combination, a rail, a tie plate hav ing an upstanding lug, and a retaining member of resilient material in the form of a hook having one end passing through said lug to a predetermined osition with to the flange of said ra1l and the other end caught around said lug.

6. In combination, a rail, a tie plate having an upstanding lug, and a retaining mem- V ber of resilient material in the form of a hook having one end passing through said lug, said end being tapered to provide an inclined surface, and havin the other end caught around said In w ereb said inclined surface is space at a pre etermined position above the flange of said rail.

7. In combination, a rail, a tie plate having an u standing lug and a retaining memher in t e form of a hook having one and passing through said lug to a position above the m1 flange and the other end caught on the surface of said lug, said lug being formed to provide a plurality'of positions at which the retaining member is adapted to be caught.

8. In combination, a rail a tie plate hava plurality of retaining member in the form of a hook having one end passing through said lug to a position above the rail flange, and the" E SOE BW? other end provided with a hob adapted to catch in any one of said depressions.

I 9. A rail retaining member in the form of a hook adapted to catch in a prede- 5 termined position on a tie plate lug, said member being of a resilient material, yet 'ofi'ering snficient resistance to deformation to prevent its dislodgrnent in service.

10. A rail retaining member in the form m of a hook adapted to catch in any one of a plurality of predetermined positions on a tie plate lug, said member being of a resilient material, yet ofiering sufiicient resistance to deformation to prevent its dislodgment w in service.

In testimony whereof, we haveherennto set our names at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this 10th day of November, 1930.

ROBERT FIES. m RQBERT H. BOYD. 

